Number of Farming Households in South Korea Dips Below One Million for First Time

Farmers plant potatoes in a field in Songjeong-dong, Gangneung-si, Gangwon Province, on March 19. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)

SEJONG, Apr. 18 (Korea Bizwire) –The number of farming households in South Korea fell below one million last year for the first time on record, according to government statistics released on April 18, underscoring the rapidly aging population in the rural areas of the country.

The 2023 Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Survey by Statistics Korea showed there were 999,000 farming households as of December 1, a decrease of 24,000 households, or 2.3 percent, from the previous year.

The decline was attributed to older farmers abandoning agriculture and transitioning to other occupations.

It marked the first time the number has dropped below one million since the agriculture survey began in 1949, though Statistics Korea said the figure, which was estimated from a sample of 47,725 households, has a margin of error of about plus or minus 10,000 households.

The population in farming households stood at 2.09 million, down 77,000 people, or 3.5 percent, from a year earlier.

Those aged 70 or older accounted for the largest share at 767,000 people, or 36.7 percent, followed by those in their 60s at 640,000 people, or 30.6 percent, and those in their 50s at 312,000 people, or 15 percent.

A fisherman climbs aboard a boat at an offshore cage fish farm in Tongyeong, South Korea. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)

The proportion of farming household members 65 or older reached a record high of 52.6 percent, up 2.8 percentage points from the previous year and significantly higher than the 18.2 percent for the overall population in South Korea, highlighting the pronounced aging in the agricultural sector.

Two-person households made up 57.5 percent of all farming households, while single-person households accounted for 22.6 percent, meaning about one in five farming households consisted of a single person.

The survey showed that 64.5 percent of farming households had sales of agricultural products worth less than 10 million won a year, while only 4.2 percent exceeded 100 million won in sales.

For fruit farms, bitter persimmons accounted for 4.9 percent of all farms, the highest among fruit varieties, followed by apples at 3.9 percent, peaches at 3.6 percent and sweet persimmons at 3.5 percent.

The number of farms growing sweet persimmons increased by 1,500 from the previous year, while those growing apples dropped by 2,500 and pears by 700.

The fisheries sector also continued to age, with the proportion of fishing household members 65 or older rising 3.7 percentage points to 48 percent. There were 42,000 fishing households last year, down 800 from the previous year, with a population of 87,000, a decline of 3,700.

Some 39.4 percent of fishing households had sales of marine products worth less than 10 million won, while 15.1 percent exceeded 100 million won.

The number of forestry households, including those involved in logging, cultivating wild greens and mushrooms, fell by 1,400 to 99,000.

Their population dropped by 5,800 to 204,000. The proportion of forestry household members 65 or older jumped 4 percentage points to 52.8 percent.

Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)